Zasypkin: International Community Shielding Lebanon from Syrian Crisis
Russian ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin stressed on Thursday the importance of Lebanon's stability and the need to preserve it in light of regional unrest.
He said after holding talks with caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel: “The international community is protecting Lebanon from the repercussions of the Syrian crisis.”
The two officials discussed regional developments, especially the unrest in Syria and Russia's efforts to tackle the situation.
“I am confident that the international community has set a long-term plan to shield Lebanon from the developments in the region,” Zasypkin added.
“We have succeeded in averting a military strike against Syria,” which has helped ease tensions in Lebanon, he remarked.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov later said, as he was leaving Beirut to Russia after a trip to Damascus, that the Russian-U.S. agreement over eliminating Syria's chemical weapons “will positively affect Lebanon.”
“A war with Syria will negatively affect Lebanon, especially ties between its various factions,” he noted.
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